"Be funny ..." wtf?

caesarfecit · 2013-02-07T02:20:23+00:00

I have a fairly analytical bent myself, but I have been known to crack a few zingers and have had friends in a variety of contexts describe me as funny..so here's my two cents.

What is humor?

A method of communication that works on the emotion of surprise (a very good one for seduction).
Pointing out the absurdity of certain real-life phenomena/situations.
Using descriptive language to frame said absurdity with emotion rather than logic.

It's said that many of the best jokes are that way because they're true. I'm a big believer in this, But what really makes or breaks humor is how well your audience can receive it. What's the criteria for that?

Your joke is something they'd understand. It can be something that just happened, a unique thought about a piece of pop culture, or a scientific phenomenon. The key is matching it to your audience. The best low-risk jokes for that are about things with immediate relevance. An engineering pickup line is funny around engineers, and wtf around anyone else, because they don't get it. Vocabulary/education level is key - if they have to pick up classic literature or a dictionary to get your joke, it's not gonna work.
Use descriptive language. Telling a joke is really about setting up a verbal surprise... you lead them down an emotional path and then present something unexpected that rationally makes sense but completely scrambles emotions. This is why women love a funny guy. Just don't go overboard, it's a joke, not a sonnet.
Commit to it emotionally. Deadpan humor is funny, don't get me wrong. Everyone can appreciate a guy who can lay down some snark, but it needs to be counterbalanced by warm and fuzzy humor, particularly with a female audience. Get into the joke, make it yours, something you lived, something that involves your emotions. That's how other people react emotionally to it as well. Just don't take it too far and clown it up. In a way, dry wit, and emotional slapstick are the yin and yang of humor.
Timing is key. You have to deliver the punchline, the twist properly. Recognize when your audience is ready for it. This is the art of the comedian. Other people may write their jokes, but they're the ones who turn something funny on the page, to something that makes a theatre full of people laugh till they cry.

But the real key of getting funny is to seek experience. Understanding turns of phrase, timing, matching humor to an audience...this is the stuff that you can't get from anyone telling you. Go out and live it and be prepared to fuck up. Humor is a learning curve, just like any other powerful skill. Building a multi-faceted and context-independent sense of humor takes years, but its worth its weight in gold dealing with people, especially if you're an analytical person - this allows you to see the money veins of potential humor that most people miss.

Brannus · 2013-02-07T01:57:07+00:00

It's very difficult to tell someone how to be funny because there are no rigid guidelines and when someone tries something that is obviously practiced or very fake, it shows and it often has the opposite of the intended effect. I always see the advice of joining an improv club and I've heard great results, I'd start there.

TooShytoSayThis · 2013-02-07T04:06:39+00:00

No one wants to fuck a clown...choose your humor wisely

dking168 · 2013-02-07T02:45:20+00:00

I find if you can create enough attraction with a girl, anything you will say will come off as funny to her as long you laugh at it as well (or bring a smile with it).

cho4d · 2013-03-25T04:33:03+00:00

How can I be funny?

Be witty and you will be funny. And you will be smart. And you will be talked about. And you will be quoted. And you will be attractive.

Some people have already mentioned an improv class. This is fantastic advice. It will train your wits. It will equip you will with a toolbox that is always with you and can be used in any situation. You will be able to inject twists, tricks and treats in the stream of any conversation that will delight your company. Improv classes can teach you games that you can play anywhere like for example the bar - e.g. when you talk every new sentence starts with the next letter in the alphabet. It's even better when you don't tell anybody you're playing a game and when they catch on it will seem like you've been a step ahead of them the whole way. My killer game is 'lip reader': tell the person you're with that you can read lips and pick a person across the room and pretend that you're reading their lips and put them in an absurd conversation. (works best if you pick a douchebag or a duckface) If you're good (i.e. funny) the person with you will laugh hysterically and will attract a crowd around you begging you to keep going.

bellumaster · 2013-03-28T03:39:00+00:00

When I was in middle school, I had no friends. I was that awkward, ugly, nerdy kid with no social skills who creeper on others. I watched and analyzed as they talked and joked, then slowly dipped into the fray. I remember a guy telling me "dude, you have a 1 out of 10 for funny vs. stupid." But I worked on it, watched the different types of people, different types of humor, subjects of certain stereotypes and generally funny jokes. Eventually I got my ratio up higher through, check it, experience. There will be awkward silences, you will feel stupid, but once you know how, it just comes naturally.

2013-02-07T03:27:02+00:00

You should try just being yourself, but whenever you are about to say something just say the exact opposite and see what happens.

I'm totally going blind on this one because I've never had a problem making people laugh but hey its worth a shot right?

kurtgodelisdead · 2013-02-07T07:07:53+00:00

Take stand up comedy classes?

I plan on doing this. A fair number of PUAs recommend this. I would give it a shot, since you get instant feedback.

nittutt · 2013-02-07T10:15:07+00:00

Making the girl laugh does not mean you have to be funny. I only focus on amusing myself when i'm doing pickup and somehow this makes girl laugh. It's not me being funny, it's me enjoying myself and amusing myself (mostly on her behalf). Girls dig that shit ;)

iDandy · 2013-02-07T15:48:41+00:00

Making her laugh has more to do with your value, frame, tonality and all of those marvelous things then the words. If your really having trouble with this, try to think about what you think is funny when you say it.

Give some thought to as what your sense of humor is and then try to focus on expanding it. Like for me, I think deadpan shit is awesome and I work on bringing that out even more in what I say. Because I think its so damn funny other people are going to as well.

This is all stuff you can work on with guys as well as girls so you can usually develop this up a bit in not too terribly much time.

Good luck man

Title	"Be funny ..." wtf?
Author	ConfusedAlways
Upvotes	8
Comments	18
Date	February 7, 2013 1:42 AM UTC (13 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/seduction
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/seduction/comments/181ct0/be_funny_wtf/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/seduction/be-funny-wtf.1347051 https://theredarchive.com/post/1347051

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